Closet flange and test cap



May 13, 1952 F. F. sosAYA CLOSET FLANGE AND TEST CAP Filed Feb. l, 1949 Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to closet flanges, and more particularly to a closet flange having an integral, knock-out test cap therein.

It is among thepbjects of the invention to provide an improved flange for receiving and supporting the upper end of the waste pipe elbow for a toilet bowl and for receiving the hold-down bolts for the bowl, which flange has a reinforced, elbow-receiving collar providing space for adequate packing between the elbow and the ilange, and has over the ange end of such collar a oontinuous wall providing a knock-out test cap which obviates the use of separate test caps formed of rubber or other suitable material, and not only seals the end of the waste pipe elbow, so that the plumbing can be pressure tested prior to the installation of the toilet bowl, but will keep dirt, debris and loose articles out of the plumbing during construction of the building and prevent the escape of sewer gas into the building after the waste plumbing has been connected with the soil pipe and before the toilet bowls are installed and the water connected, which is so constructed that the knock-out test cap can be quickly and easily removed when it is desired to install the toilet bowl, and which closet flange and knock-out test cap is of simple, one-piece construction, economical to manufacture, and easy to install.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a closet ila-nge illustrative of the invention with a fragmentary portion of a waste pipe elbow attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the closet ilange and elbow fragment illustrated in Figure 1, a portion being broken away and shown in crosssection to better illustrate the construction thereof; and

Figure 3 is a diametrical cross-section of the closet ilange with the knock-out test cap removed, showing fragmentarily and also in crosssection, the waste pipe elbow and the toilet bowl operatively associated with the closet flange.

With continued reference to the drawing, the closet flange, generally indicated at i t, comprises a cylindrical collar Il having an external reinforcing bead I 2 around one end, and an outwardly-extending annular, external flange I3 around its opposite end. The flange I3 extends outwardly to overlie the floor M around the opening I5 provided in the floor for the collar of the toilet ange, and is provided with radiallydirected, angularly spaced-apart slots or notches I6 opening to its outer edge to receive the head ends of hold-down bolts I'I by means of which the toilet bowl, generally indicated at I8 in Figure 3, is secured to the iiange. The under side of the flange I3 is recessed at each side of each of the notches I6, as indicated at I9, to provide sufcient space for the bolt heads 29, so that theV bolts may be slid into the notches with the flange I3 resting upon the upper surface of the iloor I4.

A thin end wall 2| continuous with the flange I3 extends across the anged end of the collar II, and this endwall is provided with respective circular grooves 22 and 23 in its outer and inner surfaces to provdewithin such grooves, a circular knock-out test plug which will eifectively close the upper end of the ange unit before the toilet bowl is assembled with the flange, and which may be easily knocked out and removed when it is desired to install the toilet bowl. The circular grooves 22 and 23 have a diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the waste pipe elbow 24, the upper end of which is received in the ilange collar II.

The collar I I has an inside diameter greater than the outside diameter of the elbow 24, and the upper end of the elbow is inserted into the collar to bear against the inner side of the end wall 2| of the closet flange. The elbow is made substantially concentric with the collar and packing 25 of suitable material, such as oakum, is packed into the annular space between the elbow 24 and the collar II, and a lead seal 2B is then poured in and tamped or peened to a tight sealing condition. The packing 25 and lad seal 26 are applied with the closet flange I0 and elbow 24 inverted from their normal or operative position. After the elbow has been thus sealed into the collar of the ange, the assembly is righted and the elbow positioned so that the collar will extend through the opening I5 in the floor.

The knock-out plug within the circular grooves 22 and 23 is left in position during the construction of the building and until it is desired to install the toilet bowl. At that time, the knock-out plug is broken free of the remainder of the closet ange by striking it with a hammer, after which the boss 2'I of the toilet bowl can be inserted through the opening provided by removing the knock-out test plug. The bolts Il are positioned in the notches I6 before the toilet bowl is ilnally positioned, so that the bolts will project through the bolt-receiving apertures 28 in the toilet bowl base flange 29, and the bowl is then brought to rest upon the floor, and the nuts 30 are applied to the bolts I 'I, thus com- 3 pleting the operation of installing the toilet bowl.

The above-described toilet flange construction provides a simple, one-piece member including both a closet iiange and a knock-out test plug for the upper end of an associated waste pipe elbow, which combined closet flange and test plug can be easily manufactured by a simple casting operation, and is no more expensive than conventional closet iianges in which a. separate rubber test plug must be used to close the upper end of the Waste pipe elbow for testing the plumbing and to keep debris, et cetera, out or the plumbing during building construction.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims ratherl than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within theV meaning. and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

l". Incombination with a waste pipe elbow, a combined closet flange and knock-out test plug comprising a cylindrical collar loosely receiving one end of said'waste pipe elbow, an annular external flange surrounding one end of said collar and having angularly spaced-apart, radiallydirected notches therein for receiving toilet bowl hold-down bolts, and a thin end wall continu-- o'uswith said flange overlying saidV one end of saidl collar, said end wall having circular groovesy in the inner and outer surfaces thereof adjacent the inner edge of said collar, said grooves having a4 common diameter smaller than the diameter of said collar and substantially equal to the inside diameter of said waste pipe elbow to provide a 4 circular knock-out plug closing said one end of The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in Cil 4 said collar, said closet flange being formed of a frangible material and said grooves having a substantially V-shaped cross-section'to provide a smooth edge around the opening provided by removing s-aid knock-out test plug.

2. In combination with a Waste pipe elbow, a combined closet flange and knockout test plug comprising an integral structure including a cylindrical collar portion circumspatially receiving one end of said Wastev pipe elbow and a packing surrounding said one elbow end, an annular external flange portion projecting perpendicularly from one end of said collar portion and having annularly spaced apart notches therein for receiving toilet hold-down bolts, and a thin end wall having its outer surface continuous with the outer face of said annular flange overlying and closing said one end of the collar Iportionfsaidend Wall having concentric grooves of the same diameter disposed one in the inner and one in the outer surfacel thereof to'. weaken said end wallaround a circular knockout plug portion which is concentric with and` smaller than said one end of` said collar portion .to provide Within said collar portion whentne knockout plug portion is removed,v an internal. annular flange portion constituting. an abutment for said one end of said Waste. pipev elbow and said packing.

F. sosAY-A.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are' of` record in' thev lev of this patent:

UNITED STATES' PATENTS 

